An original exhibition titled SEAGOING EASTER EGGS: Artists' Contributions to Dazzle Ship Camouflage will open soon at the Art Academy of Cincinnati. Curated by Roy R. Behrens (author of FALSE COLORS: Art, Design and Modern Camouflage (2002) and CAMOUPEDIA: A Compendium of Research on Art, Architecture and Camouflage (2009)), the exhibition will be held at the Convergys Gallery at the Art Academy at 1212 Jackson Street, from January 15, 2010 through February 12.
The exhibit is free and open to the public during gallery hours: Mon-Fri 9:00 am to 9:00 pm, and Sat-Sun 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
In addition, Professor Behrens will present a slide talk about art and camouflage at 7:00 pm, Thursday, January 28 in the Proctor and Gamble Lecture Hall at the Art Academy, an event sponsored by the Cincinnati AIGA. On Friday, January 29, there will be a reception in the gallery from 5:00 to 9:00 pm.
Included in the exhibit are photographs, camouflage diagrams, ship models and other historic artifacts that pertain to contributions by artists, designers and architects to World War I US naval camouflage, particularly dazzle camouflage. It is dedicated to the memories of Meyer Abel, Walter Arnett, and Noel Martin, all of whom attended the Art Academy, then served in World War II as camouflage artists.
The exhibit was made possible in part by access to materials in the Fleet Library at the Rhode Island School of Design, and the Everett L. Warner Archives. Other material was provided by Lyn Malone, the granddaughter of architect and Olympic fencer Harold Van Buskirk, who headed American naval camouflage in World War I. The ship models, which were cast for this exhibit by German manufacturer Norbert Broecher, were donated by Ulrich Rudofsky.
